As Bob reported last week, Wal-Mart is offering its employees free heart and spine surgery at a half dozen health centers of its own.

A major challenge is, as we've so long lamented, the lack of consistency and transparency in the cost of health care. Compounding the problem is the fact that there are separate fees for each service, so that a patient receives a bill from the hospital, the surgeon, the anesthetist, and so on. So-called "global billing" hasn't really happened, so employers are taking a cue from the cable and phone companies, putting together "bundles" that can help hold costs down and make price negotiations more meaningful.

As Bob reported last week, Wal-Mart is offering its employees free heart and spine surgery at a half dozen health centers of its own.

A major challenge is, as we've so long lamented, the lack of consistency and transparency in the cost of health care. Compounding the problem is the fact that there are separate fees for each service, so that a patient receives a bill from the hospital, the surgeon, the anesthetist, and so on. So-called "global billing" hasn't really happened, so employers are taking a cue from the cable and phone companies, putting together "bundles" that can help hold costs down and make price negotiations more meaningful.